Duldur-Aqur: Portable Shrine

CHINA, Xinjiang, Aksu

This section of a portable shrine was excavated from the site of a Buddhist monastery in Duldur-Aqur in Aksu, Xinjiang. It was the main panel from a 6th–7th century Buddha triad.
The panel has a high relief carving of a seated Buddha with traces of polychromy. The Buddha has curled hair, a usnisa, and a round face. A circular nimbus with three layers appears behind the head. The inner layer has a ring of lotus petals, then a row of beads, and finally, rays of light. The Buddha wears a robe across the left shoulder with flowing folds. As the forearms of the statuette are missing, the mudra performed by the Buddha cannot be discerned, but may have been the vitarka (teaching) mudra. The Buddha sits in full lotus position on a Sumeru throne. At the top there is a canopy with a diamond pattern.